The Standardbred Connection January 2016 | Page 12

T

he racetrack is the proving ground for
both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds - the ultimate test of speed, agility, and athleticism. The term Standardbred was first used in 1879, describing
a horse that could trot a mile in “Standard time”
of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Many breeds went
into the making of the modern Standardbred, from
the Thoroughbred stallion Messenger, to the Narraganset Pacer, to the Canadian Pacer, and the
foundation stallion Hambiltonian 10. Early races were exclusively at the trot, with the amazing
horse “Dan Patch” blazing the way for the pacer to
surpass the trotting horse in popularity.
The early Standardbred moved
seamlessly from
being
family
transportation
to the amazing
athlete seen on
the track today.
Standardbreds
have been an
important part
of American cultural. Songs like
“Bob Tail Nag”
and
Stephen
Foster’s “Camptown Races” depicted famous
Standardbreds,
as did paintings
by Currier and
Ives,

Pennsylvania. Liberty Bell’s glass enclosed grandstand could hold 30,000, with the outdoor grandstand holding an additional 3,000. The expansive
barn area housed over 1,100 horses. The top
stakes race at Liberty Bell was the Colonial, which
attracted the top trotters of the day. The Colonial is
still contested, but at Chester in Philadelphia. Liberty Bell had a solid driver’s colony and because
of its closeness to other tracks, had some of the
top drivers and horses of its day, with such names
as Stanley Dancer and Herve Fillion gracing the
program. Unfortunately, in 1986, Liberty Bell shut
its door and is now the Franklin Mills Mall.

AIN’T DERE NO MORE
By Jane Lutz

The popularity of Standardbred racing was concentrated in the Northeast, with tracks populating
both large cities and small towns. The Philadelphia
and New York areas boasted many famous tracks
such as Brandywine, Liberty Bell, and Roosevelt.
Today those names join others who just “ain’t dere
no more.”
Liberty Bell opened her doors on June 6, 1963 to a
crowd of 10,000. The horse, Majesty’s Knight, was
the first horse to cross the finish line in the opening
race, which kicked off the start of horse racing in

Roosevelt
Raceway was
located in Westbury, New York.
The Long Island
track
opened
her doors in
1940 and was
the home of
the
Messenger
Stakes,
one of the legs
of the Pacing
Triple
Crown.
Roosevelt was
unique in that
she introduced
night
racing
and single race
dashes instead
of multiple “heat
races,” where a

horse had to win 2-3 races in the same evening
to be considered the winner. Mr. Levy, the owner
of Roosevelt, thought this would shake the “hick
sport” of harness racing and put Standardbreds
on par with the Sport of Kings, Thoroughbred racing. Roosevelt was also the first track to be listed on the American Stock Exchange, and had the
dubious honor of having a full riot commence in
September 1963, when a mid-race wreck had only
2 horses finish the race. The race was declared
official, and angry bettors threw bottles, destroyed
the tote board, attacked officials, and set a fire.
Fifteen people were treated for injuries. Roosevelt